Tell me what you drink, I’ll tell you who you are

On the occasion of the “Sober January” and “Dry January” operations, which aim to restrict or even stop drinking alcohol in January, we question the representation of alcohol and gender. Why we still associate whiskey with men and the popular cosmopolitan cocktail by category Sex in the citywomen?

No, “Butterfly Minute!” », a podcast from the editorial staff of 20 minutes, is not intended to promote alcohol consumption. The episode aims to explore the representations of alcohol in our society and the constructed opposition between the feminine and masculine genders in relation to these beverages.

Representation and opposition between women and men

For this discussion, listen in the audio player above and on your favorite listening platform, our guest is sociologist Ludovic Gaussot, a teacher-researcher at the University of Poitiers who specializes in gender and social gender relations. , but also alcohol, alcoholism and alcoholism.

Ludovic Gaussot first returns in this interview to the construction of representations of masculinity associated with alcoholism in the 19th century. “A number of studies have shown that (…) there is a very strong connection between the fact of drinking, and even more the fact of intoxication, and gender, especially masculinity,” recalls the sociologist. “Since the 19th century, (…) alcohol, wine and strong spirits have had a very important place in the consolidation of masculinity and opposition to femininity.”

Different flavors

That bitter and bitter taste is associated with male, and sweet taste with female, what does this say about our society? “Between bitterness and sweetness, between sweet alcohol and strong alcohol, the gender dimension is very present,” notes the sociologist. These oppositions also reflect what anthropologists such as François Herrier have studied at the level of symbolic opposition, which refers to gender opposition.

Ludovic Gaussot then cites the work of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu This distinction. Social criticism of judgment

(1979) for whom “oppositions between social classes are reinforced by gendered oppositions. There are tastes and values ​​considered masculine, which would refer to strength and bitterness. While on the feminine side, we have sweetness, softness, voluptuousness, a connection to the velvet side. will be.”

“A Liberalization That Remains Small”

As society has evolved and liberalized, have representations of female drinkers changed? The sociologist asserts that despite this development, “gender has not disappeared” in both girls’ and boys’ education about consumption patterns and alcohol. The sociologist also recalls the “very asymmetrical treatment” between male and female drinkers in the 20th century, with female drinkers also being stigmatized. As these gendered representations evolve with the marketing strategies of alcohol companies in the 21st century, “this liberalization, however, remains modest” among women drinkers in the 21st century.

Hear all the explanations from sociologist Ludovic Gaussot in this podcast. A reminder before resuming your activities. Do not force anyone, including yourself, to drink alcohol. And if you do, remember to do it in moderation.

Anne-Laetitia Barode